Concrete construction form



y 1960 J. J. TRENTACOSTI 2,937,430

CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION FORM Filed July 29, 1957 lNVENTOR M422, 9 %MATTORNEYS.

0 k By United State PatefifO 2,937,430 CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION FORM JosephJ. Trentacosti, 10611 Edbrooke Ave., Chicago, 11!.

Filed July 29, 1957, Ser. No. 674,841

2 Claims. (Cl. 25-118) This invention relates to concrete forms, andmore particularly to strip forms of the type employed in pouringcurbings, walks and thelike.

In pouring, concrete curbings, walks and the like, it has been thecommon practice to drive wooden stakes into the ground and to nailboardsor planks thereto against which the concrete is poured. Forms ofthis type are difficult to erect and to disassemble and are expensivedue to their limited reusability.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a concreteform which can be erected and disassembled quickly and easily withoutthe use of any tools other than a hammer or mallet.

Another object is to provide a concrete form in which all of the partsare formed of sheet material such as metal and are capable of extensivereuse.

A further object is to provide a concrete form in which strips of sheetmaterial are reinforced at one side by transverse reinforcing bars, andstakes engage and are secured to the bars to mount-the strip. a

According to one feature of the invention, straps exing two or morestakes for each strip as shown to secure the strips in position.

Each of the strips, as best seen in Figures 2 through 7, is formed ofsheet metal with a flat inner surface 12 against which concrete may bepoured and with flanges 13 extending from its opposite or rearwardsurface to reinforce and strengthen the strip. Preferably, each flangeincludes a bent over edge portion 14 extending parallel to and spacedfrom the main body portion of the strip to provide smooth upper andlower edges as well as additional reinforcement.

The strip is transversely reinforced by reinforcing bars 15 extendingtransverselyacross the strip at spaced points with the ends of the barsunderlying the rebent flanges 14 as shown in Figure 4. Each reinforcingbar 15,'as best seen in Figures 3, 5 and 6 has a channel section centralportion withside flanges projecting outward therefrom and lying againstthe main body portion of the strip. Preferably, the reinforcing bars arepermanently secured to the strip by welding, riveting or the like toprovide a permanent assembly.

At its opposite ends the strip is reinforced by L section reinforcingmembers 16. As best seen in Figure 7, one of the L section reinforcingmembers is spaced from the end of the strip to which it is secured withits flange adjacent the end of thestrip and spaced therefrom. The othertend across the bars in spaced relation thereto, and the I stakes.extend loosely between the straps andbars with wedges engaging thestraps and stakes to press the stakes tightly against the bars;

According to another feature, the strip is formed with edge flangeshaving openings through which the stakes extend, and the lower flange isprovided with an apron joined to the strip at an acute angle thereto toprevent the accumulation of concrete on the lower flange.

According to a further feature, supporting elements may be connected tothe stake to support planks or the like thereon for use in forms.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be morereadily apparent from the following description when read in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is an elevation of a concrete form assembly embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of a single strip looking from the rear sidethereof;

Figures 3 to 6 are sections on the lines 33 to 66 respectively of Figure2;

Figure 7 is a partial section on the line 7-7 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is an elevation of a stake embodying the invention;

Figure 9 is an elevation of a stake with plank supporting elementsattached thereto;

Figure 10 is an enlarged section on the line 10-10 of Figure 9; and

Figure 11 is a side elevation of a wedge.

The concrete form of the present invention comprises a plurality ofstrips indicated generally at 10, which may be assembled in end to endrelation with each other to form a continuous confining surface forconcrete to be poured. The strips are supported by stakes 11, there be-L section member is secured to its corresponding strip with one of itsflanges projecting beyond the end of the strip. When two adjacent stripsare assembled, the projecting flange will engage the inner surface ofthemain body portion of the adjacent'strip to align the strips accuratelyso that the surfaces 12 thereof will constiute in effect a smoothcontinuous surface. To mount the strips on the stakes, the flanges 13thereof are formed with openings 17 spaced slightly rearwardly of theouter surfaces of the reinforcing bars 15. The stakes 11 may extendthrough the openings 17 so that they willv overlie the outer or rearwardsurfaces of the bars 15 and will engage the bars.

To secure the strip to the stakes, straps 18 are secured to the inner orrearward surface of the strip 10 by welding or the like and extendacross the reinforcing bars with their central portions in spacedrelation to the reinforcing bars. The stakes 11 will fit loosely betweenthe reinforcing bars and the straps leaving a space into which wedges 19may be driven. The wedges are driven in between the straps and the outersurfaces of the stakes and will wedge the stakes tightly against thereinforcing bars to secure the reinforcing bars and the form stripssecurely to the stakes.

In order to prevent accumulations of concrete on the flanges 13 whichmight be diflicult to remove, and to strengthen the strip aprons 21 areprovided connecting the outer edge portions of the flanges to thecentral body portion of the strip. As best seen in Figure 4,'the apronsmay be in the form of strips of sheet metal overlying and secured to therebent flange portions 14 of the strip and extending at an acute angleto join the central body portion of the strip. The flanges are cut outin registry with the reinforcing bars 15 as shown in Figure 2, toprovide for passage of the stakes. Regardless of which edge of the stripis placed at the top, any concrete spilling over the top of the form inuse will be deflected away from the form by the lower apron 21 so thatthe form will be kept clean and in usable condition at all times.

The stakes 11 are also preferably formed of sheet metal with a sectionas seen in Figures 3 and 6 similar to the section of the reinforcingbars 15, that is, each stake is formed into a channel in its centralportion with flat coplanar flanges as shown at 22 in Figure 10 extendingoutwardly from the edges of the channel flanges. At its upper end thestake may have welded or otherwise se- 3 cured thereto a plate 23 bywhich the stake may be driven without damage thereto.

I have found that with this construction an extremely rigid stake can bemade of relatively light metal, and that the stake will drive veryeasily and without deflecting in the soil. Stakes of this type arecapable of repeated reuse and are light and compact to transport fromplace to place as required.

The same stakes may also be used where desired with wooden planks orstrips as may be required in pouring curves or the like. For thispurpose supporting bars as shown in Figures 9 and 10 may be employedwhich are in the form of short strips 24 of L section wide enough toextend completely across the stakes. Straps 25 are secured to one of theflanges of the strips-24 and are spaced sufficiently therefrom tospanloosely one of the stakes 11 when the supports are assembled thereon, asshown in Figures 9 and 10. The. supports may be secured to the stakes bywedges such as' 19 driven between the stakes and the straps 25, andwhenassembled as shown in Figure 9, any desired type of plank or board maybe supported securely between the outwardly projecting flanges of thesupports.

The horizontal flange of at least the upper strip 24 is preferably slitfrom the edge and bent downward to form teeth 26. These teeth will enterthe edge of a plank or board to grip and hold it securely and are easilywithdrawn so that the plank or board may be reused a number of times.

It will be seen that the concrete form of the present invention can beassembled very easily, either by first driving the stakes and thenmounting the strips thereon, or by placing the strips in position anddriving the stakes through the openings 17 in the flanges of the strips.The only additional operation required is to drive the wedges 19 intoplace to secure the strips to the stakes, and the form is ready forpouring of concrete.

The form after pouring can easily be disassembled simply by driving thewedges out of place and removing the stakes.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described indetail, it will be understood that this is illustrative only and is notto be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, referencebeing bad for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A concrete form comprising a strip of sheet material having onesmooth surface against which concrete may be poured, a reinforcing barsecured to the other surface of the strip and extending transverselyacross the strip, a strap secured to said other surface of the strip andextending across the reinforcing bar in spaced relation thereto, a stakeextending loosely between the strap and the bar and lying against theouter surface of the reinforcing bar, and a wedge fitting between thestrap may be poured, a reinforcing bar secured to the other surface ofthe strip and extending transversely across the strip, flanges on theupper and lower edges of the strip extending over and beyond the ends ofthe reinforcing bar and formed with aligned openings beyond thereinforcing bar, a stake extending through the openings and along andlying against the outer surface of the reinforcing bar, an apronconnecting the lower flange to said other surface of the stripintermediate the top and bottom edges thereof and lying at an acuteangle to the strip and formed with an opening through which the stakeextends, a strap secured to said other surface of the strip andextending across the stake and reinforcing bar in spaced relation to thestake, and a wedge fitting between the strap and the stake and pressingthe stake into engagement with the reinforcing bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,477,767 Pulis Dec. 18, 1923 2,031,612 Masor Feb. 25, 1?36 2,637,889Dulleck May 12, 1953 2,661,517 Findley Dec. 8 1953 2,713,711 Eandi July26, 1955

